E-Paper
Who is Dharmesh Patel? Judge drops attempted murder charges against California radiologist who drove family off cliff
Charges against Indian-origin Dharmesh Patel, who drove his car carrying his family off a cliff along the Northern California coast, were dismissed by a judge.
Charges against a radiologist who drove his car off a cliff along the Northern California coast in 2023 in an alleged attempt to kill his family have been dismissed by a judge after he completed a mental health program, CNN reported.
Dharmesh Patel, 45, was charged by prosecutors with attempted murder after he drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County. His wife and two young children were injured, but all four of them survived the January 2, 2023, crash in what an official said was an “absolute miracle.”
On Monday, July 6, a San Mateo County judge dismissed the charges after Patel completed a two-year mental health diversion program with a Stanford psychiatrist and a family therapist this week, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
“The judge was required by the law to dismiss the charges,” Wagstaffe said.
Who is Dharmesh Patel?
Patel was a radiologist from Pasadena. The Indian-origin doctor was on a family road trip in the Bay Area at the time of the incident.
After his arrest, he told a psychiatrist that he was depressed and had delusions that his children, 4 and 7 at the time of the crash, would be trafficked by kidnappers, Wagstaffe said.
Also Read | Indian police officer Gurinderjit Singh Nagra charged after $400K extortion bid on LA family
Back in 2024, a different judge ruled that Patel would receive mental health treatment instead of standing trial. This was ruled after defense attorneys argued he was going through episodic major depression with hallucinations at the time of the incident, and qualified for mental health diversion under California law that went into effect in 2023.
“If the person who’s given mental health diversion follows the treatment plan, there’s nothing that can be done and at the end of the two years he gets it wiped out of his record.” Wagstaffe said.
San Mateo prosecutors opposed diversion for Patel, but were unsuccessful.
Wagstaffe and other California district attorneys believe that attempted murder should be excluded from eligibility for mental health diversion. They believe the law needs to be amended, and are already working with lawmakers.
“We’ll try again in the future,” he said about the law. “We’re not giving up.”
Until Patel’s release in 2024 to complete a mental health outpatient treatment program, he remained in jail without bail. He then moved in with his parents in San Mateo County. He was monitored through a GPS bracelet, and had to surrender his driver’s license and passport. He was also required to check with the court weekly.
The Medical Board of California eventually barred Patel from practicing medicine while he faced attempted murder charges. He surrendered his California medical license in December, the board said on Tuesday, July 7.
Patel’s wife and children also moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Later, the court allowed him to spend time with his family, and even take them out on drives.
Patel later testified that she forgave her wife and hoped he would not be prosecuted, adding that the children missed him and wanted him to return home.
After the charges were dismissed on Monday, Monday met his wife at the courtroom gallery, where she was waiting for him. The two then left the building together, Mercury News reported.
